Narrative vs Lyric Poetry

Why is this a NARRATIVE POEM?

Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere . . .

. . . He said to his friend, “If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch

Of the North-Church tower as a signal-light,—

 

—from “Paul Revere’s Ride,”

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

• The story has dialogue and direct quotes.

• The story has rhyme and meter. 

• The excerpt is the exposition of a story. 

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

 

—from “The Lake Isle of Innis free,” by William Butler Yeats

• Narrative Poetry

• Lyric Poetry

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Why is this a LYRIC poem?

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

 

—from “The Lake Isle of Innisfree,” by William Butler Yeats

• It includes a setting that is important to understanding the story.

• It captures a moment in place and time in great detail.

• It features bees who are main characters in the story.

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What is the subject of the lyrical poem?

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee;

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

 

—from“TheLakeIsleofInnisfree,” byWilliam ButlerYeats

• The warmth of comfort of the cabin is the subject of the poem.

• The setting is the subject of the lyrical poem.

• The symbol of the beehive is the subject of the poem.

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What is the subject of this LYRICAL poem?

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

—from “Loveliest of trees, the cherry now,” by A. E. Housman

• This lyrical poem is about a tree where the author met her partner and married year ago.

• This lyrical poem is about a horse because it mentions a "bough" and a "ride".

• This lyrical poem is about a cherry blossom tree which has bloomed.

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Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

     While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

—from“The Raven,”by Edgar Allan Poe

• Narrative Poem

• Lyric Poem

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Does this excerpt look like the beginning of a NARRATIVE poem?

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

Is hung with bloom along the bough,

And stands about the woodland ride

Wearing white for Eastertide.

—from “Loveliest of trees, the cherry now,” by A. E. Housman

• Yes, because it uses figurative language devices like alliteration.

• No, because it uses description to fully capture a moment in time.

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Listen, my children, and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere . . .

. . . He said to his friend, “If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry-arch

Of the North-Church tower as a signal-light,—

 

—from “Paul Revere’s Ride,”

by HenryWadsworthLongfellow

• Narrative Poetry

• Lyric Poetry

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What makes this a LYRIC poem?

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

 

—from “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,”by William Wordsworth

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What makes this a NARRATIVE poem?

For many a petty king ere Arthur came Ruled in this isle, and ever waging war Each upon other, wasted all the land;

And still from time to time the heathen host Swarmed overseas, and harried what was left. And so there grew great tracts of wilderness, Wherein the beast was ever more and more, But man was less and less, till Arthur came.

—from “Idylls of the King,” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

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